Love, Mom Review | A Twisty Psychological Thriller by Iliana Xander

💫🎤 Book Spotlight: Love, Mom by Iliana Xander

Genre: Psychological Thriller • Family Drama • Domestic Suspense • Emotional Thriller

☕ Book Details & Rating

Format: Audiobook & Physical

Series: Standalone

Year Published: 2025

Page Count: 368

Rating: ☕☕☕☕☕ (5 Coffees!)

🥤 Coffee Pairing: Smoked Dark Chocolate Cold Brew

Bold cold brew infused with dark chocolate and a hint of smoked vanilla, finished with just a touch of cream to soften the edge. It’s rich, intense, and slightly bitter—the kind of drink that keeps you alert while the tension slowly builds.

It’s the perfect match for Love, Mom by Iliana Xander. Dark, emotional, and layered with secrets, this story pulls you in with quiet intensity and keeps you guessing as the truth slowly unfolds.

About the Book

Love, Mom by Iliana Xander explores the complicated bonds between family, memory, and the secrets people carry for years. When long-buried truths begin to surface, a daughter is forced to confront the possibility that the woman she thought she knew—her own mother—may not be the person she believed.

As the story unfolds, past and present collide, revealing hidden trauma, fractured relationships, and the ripple effects of choices made long ago. The deeper she digs, the more unsettling the truth becomes.

Dark, emotional, and deeply character-driven, this psychological thriller blends family drama with suspense as it explores how far someone will go to protect the life they’ve built—and what happens when the truth refuses to stay buried.

My Thoughts

This was a wild ride. I experienced this book both as a physical copy and as an audiobook, and the audiobook really brought it to life. It features several narrators for the different points of view, which made the story even more immersive.

This book is packed with twists and turns. I did manage to predict some of them, but usually not long before the reveal. One of the biggest twists I guessed at about 44%, and it was confirmed around 51%. That’s about how the rest of my predictions went as well. Even so, it didn’t take away from the experience at all. Xander absolutely nailed the storytelling. It was gripping and exciting, and I found myself thinking about it nonstop. I finished it over the course of two days. I kept blurting out things like “No!”, “No she didn’t!”, and “What?!” while reading. I even convinced one of my friends to read it immediately so I’d have someone to talk to about it. She had the exact same reaction—I could hear her yelling at the book from her office too!

The story begins with Kenzie grieving the death of her mother, though their relationship had always been strained. Her mother wasn’t one to show affection privately, yet as a famous author she often spoke glowingly about Kenzie in public. Shortly after the funeral, Kenzie begins receiving letters from her mother. These letters offer glimpses into her mother’s past—how she met Kenzie’s father, the friendships she had along the way, and her teenage years growing up in a group foster home. With each new letter, Kenzie becomes increasingly suspicious of the people around her. Something doesn’t quite line up between the woman described in the letters and the mother she remembers.

"Sometimes to understand your present, you have to look into the past." - Iliana Xander, Love, Mom

This is a very plot-driven book. There isn’t a huge amount of character development aside from the relationship between Kenzie and EJ. At one point, I honestly thought EJ might end up being part of whatever was going on—maybe the family had paid him off or something. Thankfully, he turned out to be a true ride-or-die.

One thing Xander does especially well is the psychological tension. As Kenzie reads through the letters, the story slowly peels back layer after layer of secrets. The deeper she digs, the harder it becomes to separate the mother she thought she knew from the woman revealed in the letters. That constant sense that something isn’t quite right keeps the suspense building and makes you question every character along the way.

The epilogue is an absolute must-read. It actually had me laughing out loud and ties the story together in a really satisfying way. For a debut novel, Xander truly knocks it out of the park. I can’t recommend this one enough. I still catch myself thinking about the story and the characters long after finishing it. It really is a wild ride from beginning to end.

Final Thoughts

Love, Mom by Iliana Xander is an incredibly gripping debut that keeps you hooked from the very first chapter. Between the layered storytelling, the constant twists, and the emotional weight behind the mystery, this book was nearly impossible to put down. Even when I guessed a few of the reveals, the journey getting there was still exciting and completely worth it.

There is some language throughout the book, but it never felt excessive or over the top. However, the story does deal with several heavy themes, so I would definitely recommend checking the trigger warnings before diving in. If you enjoy psychological thrillers packed with family secrets, emotional tension, and shocking revelations, this one is absolutely worth picking up.